Agency Details:

Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, Inc.

When you donate or shop at Goodwill, you're helping people find jobs.

Goodwill collects donations of clothing and household items and sells them in 28 easy-to-find stores throughout central Indiana. Whether you call them thrift stores, resale shops or second-hand stores, Goodwill is a great place to purchase new and gently used clothing and household goods.

Goodwill also accepts automobile donations and auctions them to the public. The revenue earned helps fund job-training and employment programs – programs that help people develop the skills they need to find good jobs.

Goodwill strives for self-sufficiency, just as our organization helps people achieve it for themselves. Through the sale of donated goods (our Retail Division), industrial and janitorial contracts (our Commercial Services Division) and contracts to provide services for units of government and other agencies (our Workforce Services Division), Goodwill earns more than 97 percent of the revenue needed for day-to-day operations.

Description:
Goodwill Industries exists to help people in central Indiana prepare for, find and keep jobs and to help employers solve workforce-related problems. Goodwill provides work opportunities, job preparation and placement services for thousands of people each year. Last year, Goodwill and its partners helped 8,327 people find jobs — jobs that provide people with careers and support for their families.

Goodwill's Commercial Services Division is dedicated to providing high-quality, reliable outsourcing services and on-time deliveries. When you partner with Goodwill, you receive customized supply-chain solutions that are results driven and cost effective in this competitive business environment.

Goodwill also provides creative staffing solutions for companies in central Indiana through Goodwill Staffing Solutions. The first of its kind in Indiana, Goodwill Staffing Solutions is a full-service employment agency.

History:
The History of Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, Inc.

Reverend Edgar J. Helms started the first Goodwill in 1902 at Morgan Chapel in Boston. Helms collected discarded clothing and household items. He employed people who needed jobs to repair the donated goods, which were sold to provide wages. From this single idea, the principles which guide the growth of Goodwill Industries were developed.
In 1930, the Great Depression had disrupted many lives in Indianapolis. From a basement community center, the Fletcher Place Methodist Church offered a variety of programs such as a kindergarten, clubs and medical clinics. But what neighborhood residents needed most were jobs. With the encouragement of Bishop Frederick D. Leete, Reverend Albert Spaulding traveled to Boston to learn about Goodwill Industries. Upon his return, he established a Goodwill program.

In 1934, Reverend Howard Lytle came to Indianapolis and became the driving force behind the development of the local Goodwill. In the 35 years of his leadership, he brought Goodwill out of a basement and into the forefront. He became a leader in the field of vocational rehabilitation nationally as well as locally.
Significant Events of the Past 30 Years
1969 - Goodwill in Indianapolis was the first Goodwill in the United States and the first organization in Indiana to become accredited by CARF -the Rehabilitation Accreditation Commission. We continue to be accredited.

1971 - The Goodwill Industries Foundation of Central Indiana, Inc. was established to begin building an endowment for Goodwill.

1974 - Indianapolis was the first Goodwill in the country to manufacture a commodity under the provisions of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day Act

1990 - Developed Futureworks, the first welfare-to-work program in the state.

1996 - Opened neighborhood-based offices in Indianapolis inner city neighborhoods to make workforce preparation and job placement more accessible.

1996 - Developed first bond issue to fuel continued growth of retail operations.

Contact person: Sarah Maisto, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (317) 524-4519

Address:

1635 West Michigan Street Indianapolis, IN 46222 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.goodwillindy.org

Directions:

For a complete listing of central Indiana Goodwill retail stores and office locations, please visit www.goodwillindy.org or call (317) 524-4313.   Nearest Bus Stop: Route #3 (stops at Goodwill), 0 minute walk

Last updated on May 5, 2009